So I just got some new computer parts!! LOVING ITSpecs:CPU-Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Motherboard-ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel MotherboardMemory-G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBXM (gonna be getting another one of these soon to go up to 8GB)Graphic Card-EVGA 9800 GTX+ 512MB Video Card (I know it is not the best but I got it from a friend for $50)Hard Drive-Not sure the specs of the hard drive I got it a couple of years back but I know it is 250GBOK so 2 question:1) I want to get a better harddrive, I kinda think that it is slowing down my computer a little. I just dont know which one is good or which one I need, I do not really want to spend more than $100 2) What do you think if I SLI and get another graphics card that is in my system now. DO you think that it would make a big difference???? Would I get good FPS with FSX?????Thanks for any replies

So I just got some new computer parts!! LOVING ITSpecs:CPU-Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Motherboard-ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel MotherboardMemory-G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBXM (gonna be getting another one of these soon to go up to 8GB)Graphic Card-EVGA 9800 GTX+ 512MB Video Card (I know it is not the best but I got it from a friend for $50)Hard Drive-Not sure the specs of the hard drive I got it a couple of years back but I know it is 250GBOK so 2 question:1) I want to get a better harddrive, I kinda think that it is slowing down my computer a little. I just dont know which one is good or which one I need, I do not really want to spend more than $100 2) What do you think if I SLI and get another graphics card that is in my system now. DO you think that it would make a big difference???? Would I get good FPS with FSX?????Thanks for any replies

1. Maybe you could fit a smaller SSD into the 100$ budget or extend it a little bit and get a 60-80GB one. If you don't have too many addons you could install Windows and FSX on it. Otherwise, you could buy a new hard drive. They are getting a little bit faster with time. I'm pretty satisfied with my Western Digital Black series in my secondary computer.2. There is no benefit to SLI for FSX. For the time being if budget is a concern I would keep the GTX and later on upgrade to a GTX 560TI ou 570. In the meantime, you might not be able to use maximum texture resolution for the newer addons but you'll still be able to play FSX with decent framerate using that CPU.

you should only get a sata 3 drive to take full advantage of that motherboard, not sure if you will see that much difference in fsx but im sure there would be some. Basically the sata 3 gets faster read times than sata 2 and your board supports that. Id recommend a sata 3 7200 RPM drive but that may be a little over 100 depending on the size you get.

Get the Samsung F3 1TB drive. They're about the fasted around and they're cheap! (around 60 Euro in Europe).

Keep in mind here that pretty much the only things that can even come close to the actual SATA 3Gb/s speeds are SSDs. A mechanical HD gets nowhere close. Ditto for the newer SATA 6Gb/s - only the brand new Sandforce SF2000 and Intel G3 based SSDs are getting anywhere close with that.The 9800 card is definitely the weak link in that system - I'd try to get at least a GTX 460 or 560 Ti.

Never mind your disks yet, they only make a small difference in the scheme of things. Get your $50 back from your friend and sort a decent GPU. Anything less then the 560Ti and your top of the line i7-2600k was a waste of money unless you like solving math problems. Then I suggest you look to your memory. 2x4G memory will give you better performance then 4x2G at the same specs. If you still have any money left, then you can look at disks.

Well I do want to get a new Graphics Card but i think that I am going to wait till summer and save up so I can get a better one i was hoping to get a GTX580 cause I hear ryan saying a lot of good things about it but maybe by summer there will be a better one out there. One other thing that I need to get is a new case. Mine is too small. I will hopefully get one next week. Hoping to get:http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6683Looks awesome and good reviews.